Sun Belt Conference Weekly News and Notes (Complete PDF)
2014 Sun Belt Conference Media Guide
2014 Sun Belt Conference Composite Schedule
2014 Sun Belt Conference Standings

Conference Play Picks Up with Thursday Night Rivalry Clash Between Appalachian State and Georgia Southern
Conference play will begin to be the focus for the 2014 season as only 10 non-conference games remain and only two non-conference games are on the schedule for this upcoming weekend.

Georgia Southern welcomes a national television audience to the recently expanded Paulson Stadium Thursday night as it faces longtime rival Appalachian State on ESPNU. Game coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. (CT) for the Eagles’ first home Sun Belt Conference game. The Eagles and Mountaineers have met annually since 1993 and the series dates back to the program’s pre-war years with a first meeting in 1932. Appalachian State owns a 16-12-1 advantage, but Georgia Southern has a 7-4 record in games at Paulson Stadium.

For its first league roadgame of the fall, South Alabama will make its first trip to the Pacific Time Zone since defeating UC Davis, 24-21, on Oct. 23, 2010, when the Jags meet Idaho. Both teams will be playing their second Sun Belt game of the year as South Alabama fell this past Saturday to conference newcomer Georgia Southern and Idaho fell in the waning seconds to UL Monroe in the second week of the season.

Elsewhere in league action, UL Monroe hosts Troy in the Sun Belt Network-ESPN3 game of the week. The Warhawks have one league win in the aforementioned game against Idaho and only have one loss on the season – having fallen to LSU on the road. For Troy, the game will be the first conference game of an eight game league stretch as the Trojans have finished non-conference play. Troy owns the series advantage with an 8-6-1 record, but ULM has won four of the six games played in Monroe – including the last three contests.

New Mexico State and Texas State are the only two teams to play non-conference games this week. Both will be on the road as New Mexico State plays at LSU and Texas State plays at Tulsa.

Three teams have byes this week, including Arkansas State which is coming off of a hard fought win against Utah State. Two Arkansas State players, Qushaun Lee and Artez Brown, were named Sun Belt Player of the Week for their efforts in the win against the Aggies.

Upcoming Schedule

September 25
* Appalachian State at Georgia Southern - 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

September 27
* South Alabama at Idaho - 4 p.m. (ESPN3)
* Troy at UL Monroe - 6 p.m. (Sun Belt/ESPN3)
New Mexico State at LSU - 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
Texas State at Tulsa - 7 p.m. (ESPNews)

All times Central (CT) and subject to change
* denotes Sun Belt Conference game

Recent Results

September 20
#13 Georgia 66, Troy 0 - 11 a.m. (SEC Network)
Illinois 42, Texas State 35 - 3 p.m. (ESPNews)
Washington 45, Georgia State 14 - 5 p.m. (Pac-12 Net)
Arkansas State 21, Utah State 14 (OT) - 6 p.m. (ESPN3)
Southern Miss 21, Appalachian State 20 - 6 p.m. (American Sports)
Ohio 36, Idaho 24 - 6 p.m. (ESPN3)
* Georgia Southern 26, South Alabama 6 - 6:30 (Sun Belt/ESPN3)
New Mexico 38, New Mexico State 35 - 7 p.m. (ESPN3)
Boise State 34, UL Lafayette 9 - 9:30 p.m. (CBS-SN)

Sun Belt Players of the Week - As selected by a media voting panel

Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week

Matt Breida (Georgia Southern, So., RB)
Sophomore running back Matt Breida posted a career-best 187 rushing yards and scored two touchdowns as Georgia Southern won its first-ever Sun Belt Conference game Saturday night. Breida, who led off the scoring with a 64-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, punched it in from one yard out in the third quarter for his touchdown of the night. It was the third straight game in which he recorded two touchdowns and he leads the league with seven rushing TDs on the year. His single-game effort of 187 yards rushing, with 103 of those yards coming in the first quarter, would be the 26th-highest total nationally and was his second-straight 100-yard-plus effort of the year. He currently averages 8.9 yards per carry, which would rank sixth nationally.

Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week

Qushaun Lee (Arkansas State, Sr., LB)
Junior linebacker Qushaun Lee recorded a season-high 13 tackles, team-high 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a pass break-up, leading an Arkansas State defense that allowed just 14 points to Utah State in the Red Wolves’ seven-point overtime victory over the Aggies.  Lee’s 13 tackles were just three shy of his career high, tied the most by an A-State player this season and marked the 11th time of his career he recorded a double-figure stops total.  He was also part of the Red Wolves’ defense that kept Utah State off the scoreboard on four possessions that began in A-State territory.

Sun Belt Special Teams Player of the Week

Artez Brown (Arkansas State, Sr, DB)
Senior cornerback Artez Brown blocked a 38-yard field goal attempt by Utah State as time expired in regulation, forcing overtime in Arkansas State’s 21-14 victory over the Aggies.  Utah State recovered a Red Wolves’ fumble with 47 seconds left in the game and drove 10 yards to the 28-yard line before Brown came up with the block that allowed A-State to win the game in overtime.  Brown collected his first career blocked kick, which was also the Red Wolves first of the season.  He was also responsible for six tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and a game-high two pass break-ups.

Around the Sun Belt Conference

Sun Belt sets win record vs. Non-Conference Foes
The Sun Belt Conference’s 21 non-conference wins in the 2013 season eclipsed the previous record mark of 19 set in 2012. Additionally, of note for the league’s non-conference win total was that the Sun Belt fared well against its peer opponents in the non-AQ BCS ranks during the 2013 season. The Sun Belt finished the year a combined 8-1 against members of Conference-USA (4-1), the Mid-American Conference (3-0) and the Mountain West Conference (1-0). The Sun Belt also had the best overall non-conference win percentage when comparing the four non-AQ conferences.

Sun Belt Membership
The Sun Belt Conference will contest the 2014 football season with 11 members – Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Idaho, UL Lafayette, UL Monroe, New Mexico State, South Alabama, Texas State and Troy. UALR and UT Arlington compete as non-football playing members. The Sun Belt will have four new members in the league this year as Appalachian State and Georgia Southern were added as all-sports members and Idaho and New Mexico State were added as football playing members. Both Appalachian State and Georgia Southern bring with them highly successful football programs and each team will begin the process of transitioning to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) immediately. The 2014 Sun Belt football season will mark the debut of both in the league schedule and standings. Additionally, both the Mountaineers and Eagles will be able to compete for the league championship in football for the 2014 season. Both teams will first be eligible to compete in a spot for a postseason bowl game come the 2015 season. Idaho and New Mexico State are familiar partners of the Sun Belt Conference, having been football members from the league’s inaugural year of football in 2001 through the 2004 season. Both members played an integral part of forming the Sun Belt Conference for football and now add strength to the league. Both teams will be immediately eligible to compete for the Sun Belt football championship and also for a spot in postseason bowl games.

Sun Belt Undefeated in 2013 Bowl Games
The 2013 football season saw two teams take home bowl championship trophies, as UL Lafayette won its third consecutive R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl and Arkansas State won its second consecutive GoDaddy Bowl. The Red Wolves won their second consecutive GoDaddy Bowl by defeating Ball State 23-20. The previous season the Red Wolves defeated Kent State in the annual bowl game played in Mobile. The Red Wolves have made three consecutive appearances in the game, having lost to Northern Illinois in their first appearance. The Ragin’ Cajuns closed the 2013 football season with a 9-4 record that included a share of the 2013 Sun Belt Conference title and a 24-21 win over Tulane in the R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.

Preseason Awards Candidates
Paul Hornung Award Watch List - Rashon Ceaser, UL Monroe, J.D. McKissic, Arkansas State; Lou Groza Award Watch List - Maxwell Johnson, New Mexico State; Ray Guy Award Watch List - Austin Rehkow, Idaho Justin Manton, UL Monroe; Rimington Award Watch List-Bryce Giddens, Arkansas State, Mike Marboe, Idaho, Valerian Ume-Ezeoke, New Mexico State; John Mackey Award Watch List- Darion Griswold, Arkansas State; Wes Saxton, South Alabama; Jim Thorpe Award Watch List - Sterling Young, Arkansas State, Rocky Hayes, Arkansas State; Biletnikoff Award Watch List -Rashon Ceaser, UL Monroe, Wes Saxton, South Alabama, Shaverez Smith, South Alabama, Jamal Robinson, UL Lafayette; Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List - Justin Hamilton, UL Lafayette,Gerrand Johnson, UL Monroe, Qushaun Lee, Arkansas State, Mykhael Quave, UL Lafayette, Daniel Quave, UL Lafayette, Tyler Roberts, Troy, Dominique Tovell, UL Lafayette, David Mayo, Texas State, Davey O’Brien Watch List - Terrance Broadway, UL Lafayette; Dick Butkus Award Watch List - Michael Orakpo, Texas State; Doak Walker Award Watch List - Marcus Cox, Appalachian State, Michael Gordon, Arkansas State, Alonzo Harris, UL Lafayette, Robert Lowe, Texas State; Maxwell Award Watch List - Qushaun Lee, Arkansas State; All-State Sugar Bowl Manning Award Watch List - Terrance Broadway, UL Lafayette.

Sun Belt Bowl Games
The Sun Belt Conference maintains primary bowl tie-ins with the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, the GoDaddy Bowl and the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl. A team from the Sun Belt Conference has played in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl since its inception in 2001. The SBC has won five consecutive R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl games and seven out of the last eight. The GoDaddy bowl matches teams from the Sun Belt Conference and Mid-American Conference. Arkansas State has helped lead the Sun Belt to two consecutive wins in the GoDaddy Bowl. The Camellia Bowl will match-up the Sun Belt Conference against the Mid-American Conference beginning in December. The game will be played yearly at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala.

Come 2015, the Cure Bowl will feature a team from the Sun Belt Conference against the American Athletic Conference. The game will be played yearly at the newly renovated Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla., the weekend before the Christmas holiday. The Cure Bowl is the first of its kind to combine the passions of college football with the goal of supporting breast cancer research.

The Sun Belt Conference will also be part of the rotation for the newly created Bahamas Bowl and Miami Beach Bowl.

With the 2014-15 year marking the debut of the College Football Playoff (CFP) the Sun Belt continues to find itself among the 10 premier college football conferences and the new system is guaranteed universal access based on performance – there are no automatic qualifiers for the playoff system. Additionally, the CFP will mean that a spot among the premier bowl games of college football will be guaranteed to the highest-ranked champion from the “Group of Five” conferences: the Sun Belt Conference, American Athletic Conference, Mountain West Conference, Mid-American Conference and Conference USA.

Georgia State’s Ruiz Named John Mackey Tight End of Week
Georgia State tight end Joel Ruiz was named John Mackey Tight End of the Week after his season opening performance in the Panthers’ 38-37 win over Abilene Christian. Ruiz, a junior from Kingsland, Ga., had a career-best game with seven receptions for 111 yards and two touchdowns.

Sun Belt Bowl Game Winning Percentage
Over the last five years the Sun Belt Conference ranks second out of the 10 FBS conferences in postseason bowl game winning percentage. In fact, the Sun Belt Conference ranks ahead of noted leagues – the ACC, Pac-12 and the Big Ten.

Conference	Winning %
SEC	0.625
Sun Belt	0.571
Mountain West	0.538
C-USA	0.536
Big 12	0.513
Pac-12	0.500
ACC	0.439
American	0.400
Big Ten	0.385
MAC	0.346

All-Time Sun Belt Standings for Current Members (Sorted by Winning Percentage)

School	Wins	Losses	Percentage	Years in Sun Belt
Georgia Southern	1	0	1.000	1
Troy	49	25	0.662	11
New Mexico State	16	11	0.593	6
Arkansas State	47	39	0.547	14
UL Lafayette	50	44	0.532	14
UL Monroe	47	47	0.500	14
South Alabama	5	11	0.313	2
Texas State	2	5	0.286	2
Idaho	7	20	0.259	6
Georgia State	0	8	0.000	2
Appalachian State	0	0	0.000	1

UL Lafayette Football Honored for Academic Performance
The UL Lafayette football team was recognized recently for having the highest grade point averages in the Sun Belt Conference last school year. This year’s Sun Belt Team Academic Award will be presented to the Cajuns as they had the highest average GPA of all Sun Belt football teams. The academic award is calculated by totaling individual GPAs of team members, then dividing by the total number of student-athletes on that particular team. All GPAs are based on the previous school year and include the total GPA for the year (not the average of semesters).

Georgia Southern’s Frye Named a Candidate for Senior CLASS Award
Georgia Southern offensive tackle Garrett Frye has been selected as one of 30 candidates for the 2014 Senior CLASS Award. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I FBS Senior and have notable achievements in the four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.

Georgia Southern University’s Male Student-Athlete for both the 2012-13 and 2013-14 academic years as well as earning first-team All-America honors, Frye was a 2013 CoSIDA/Capital One Division I Academic All-District selection. He owns a 3.77 cumulative grade point average in the Exercise Science curriculum.

UL Lafayette’s Cadona Named Ray Guy National Punter of the Week
UL Lafayette punter Daniel Cadona was named the Ray Guy National Punter of the Week following his performance against Ole Miss on Sept. 13. Cadona, a native of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia averaged 51.1 yards on seven attempts for the Ragin’ Cajuns against the No. 14-ranked Rebels. Cadona, who recorded a net average of 48.7 yards, recorded punts of 50 yards or greater on his first six attempts and placed three inside the Ole Miss 20-yard line.

AFCA to Present Coach to Cure MD on September 27
The AFCA will hold its seventh annual Coach to Cure MD effort for the games of September 27. More than 110 FBS schools will be wearing a Coach to Cure MD patch to raise awareness and funding for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research. Sun Belt coaching staffs will be wearing Coach to Cure MD patches this week to raise awareness and funding for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research. Fans are encouraged to donate online at www.CoachtoCureMD.org or donate $5 by texting CURE to 90999.

Sun Belt to Expand Live Event Distribution with ESPN3
The Sun Belt Conference and ESPN announced recently a content expansion within their agreement that will result in the exclusive distribution of up to an additional 50 Sun Belt events on ESPN3 - ESPN’s live multi-screen sports network.

“ESPN continues to live up to its billing as the ‘Worldwide Leader in Sports’ with the advances that it has made in digital content,” said Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Karl Benson. “ESPN3 and WatchESPN have revolutionized how viewers consume sports – we are excited to be part of that and eager to display the Sun Belt to the 92 million homes that ESPN3 reaches.”

Fans will begin seeing the product of the expanded agreement this fall when a number of Sun Belt football games will be exclusively produced and distributed on ESPN3. The fall sports season will also feature the conference’s Women’s Soccer, Men’s Soccer, and Volleyball Championships on the network. A number of men’s and women’s regular-season basketball games will be available along with every contest from the 2015 Sun Belt Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships. Baseball will be featured heavily in the spring with a run of regular-season games and up to seven matchups from the conference championship being made available. Several games from the 2015 Softball Championship will also be carried on ESPN3.

The deal that has been struck will also be instrumental in the future of airing more live events as the conference and ESPN will work jointly to develop a school production based model. This will result in Sun Belt members being able to deliver high quality productions that can be featured on ESPN3 throughout the year.

Sun Belt Conference Head Football Coaches Teleconference
Every Monday from 10:30 a.m. to 11:47 a.m. beginning August 25 to November 24
All times Central (CT) and subject to change
Contact John McElwain (mcelwain@sunbeltsports.org) for info

10:30 a.m. – Announcements – If Necessary
10:30 a.m. – Scott Satterfield, Appalachian State
10:37 a.m. – Willie Fritz, Georgia Southern
10:44 a.m. – Dennis Franchione, Texas State
10:51 a.m. – Larry Blakeney, Troy
10:58 a.m. – Paul Petrino, Idaho
11:05 a.m. – Doug Martin, New Mexico State
11:12 a.m. – Blake Anderson, Arkansas State
11:19 a.m. – Mark Hudspeth, UL Lafayette
11:26 a.m. – Todd Berry, UL Monroe
11:33 a.m. – Trent Miles, Georgia State
11:40 a.m. – Joey Jones, South Alabama

Sun Belt Conference Video Feed
Contact Travis Llewellyn (llewellyn@sunbeltsports.org) for info.

The Sun Belt Conference will provide a weekly video feed of head coach interviews and game highlights each Tuesday during the 2014 football season. The video feed will be made available exclusively through a digital download this season using the website https://sunbeltsports.egnyte.com/. New videos made available on this site will be uploaded on Tuesday of each week by 2 p.m. The videos will also be maintained and archived throughout the season. Members of the media may also find supplementary content on this site such as logos and photos. For login information please contact Travis Llewellyn (llewellyn@sunbeltsports.org) or John McElwain (mcelwain@sunbeltsports.org).

Team News and Notes

Appalachian State Mountaineers
Appalachian State fell to 1-2 for the third-straight season with a heartbreaking 21-20 loss at Southern Miss on Saturday night.

Appalachian State battled back from an early 14-0 deficit to cut USM’s lead to 21-20 on a two-yard touchdown pass from Taylor Lamb to Simms McElfresh with six seconds to go in the game. However, the extra point was blocked and USM escaped with a one-point win.

Appalachian State (1-2) dominated Southern Miss (2-2) in most statistical categories, including total yards (455-329), rushing yards (191-61), first downs (29-16), third/fourth-down conversions (8-of-16 to 2-of-11) and time of possession (35:51-24:09).

However, the Mountaineers had three turnovers, came away with just three scores on five trips in the red zone, committed 11 penalties and, most glaringly, left 10 points on the field in the kicking game. In addition to the block extra point with six seconds to go, App State also missed all three of its field-goal attempts.

Making his first-career start, Lamb (a redshirt freshman) completed 28-of-40 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns. The 28 completions were the most ever by an Appalachian State quarterback in his first-career start while the 264 passing yards were the second-most ever by an Appalachian State quarterback in his first-career start (record: 298 by Bake Baker vs. Marshall on Oct. 26, 1996).

Appalachian State sophomore running back Marcus Cox recorded the eighth 100-yard rushing game of his 15-game career with 119 yards on 22 carries (5.4 average). Cox surpassed the 1,500-yard mark for his career in the first half. He finished the day with 1,530 career yards.

Appalachian State senior cornerback Joel Ross became the firs Mountaineer with two interceptions in a game since linebacker John Law had two in a 31-21 win at Elon on Sept. 21, 2013. Ross is the first Appalachian State defensive back with two interceptions in a game since current Jacksonville Jaguar Demetrius McCray had two in a 35-27 win over Montana on Sept. 8, 2012.

The Mountaineers do not have much time to shake off the tough loss, as they open Sun Belt Conference play on Thursday at longtime rival Georgia Southern (2-2, 1-0 Sun Belt).

Arkansas State Red Wolves
A-State stands 2-2 after four games for the fourth consecutive year . . . The Red Wolves’ will enter an open week coming off a 21-14 overtime win against Utah State, its first ever victory over a Mountain West Conference opponent . . . Since joining the Sun Belt Conference in 2001, A-State is 10-7 in games played following an open week. A-State has won nine of its last 11 games played after an open week . . . The Red Wolves improved to 3-4 all-time in overtime games dating back to 1998, while also winning their first overtime contest since 2005 . . . With the win over Utah State, the Red Wolves avoided losing three consecutive games for the first time since 2010 and improved their record to 30-13 over the last four seasons . . . A-State, which will host ULM on Oct. 4 their next time out, has won its last four consecutive home games and 18 of its last 20 . . . A-State has won nine of its last 10 games in the month of October dating back to the 2011 season . . . The Red Wolves are 8-5 all-time in Sun Belt Conference openers, its most recent a 41-34 win over Troy last season . . . Set to begin its Sun Belt Conference play its next time out, the Red Wolves are 20-3 in league action since the 2011 season and have won three consecutive conference titles . . . Arkansas State and ULM have played 35 times, which is the fifth most in school history among all opponents . . . As Sun Belt foes, A-State leads the series 9-4 after picking up a win over the Warhawks the last four seasons, including a 42-14 win last year . . . Redshirt freshman and walk-on running back Johnston White recorded the first 100-yard rushing performance by an A-State player this season last week against Utah State, and he now has 183 rushing yards over A-State’s last two games . . . Senior cornerback Andrew Tryon recorded a career-high eight tackles versus Utah State, and he has now posted at least six stops in three of A-State’s four games . . . The A-State defense has posted at least one interception every game this season . . . The A-State offense has recorded at least 300 yards total offense in 49 of its last 54 games . . . Senior linebacker Qushaun Lee recorded a season-high 13 tackles last game, giving him a team-best 31 on the season that also ranks as the seventh most in the Sun Belt Conference.

Georgia Southern Eagles
Georgia Southern (2-2, 1-0) welcomes a national television audience to the recently expanded Paulson Stadium Thursday night as it faces old rival Appalachian State (1-2) on ESPNU. Game coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. (ET) for the Eagles’ first home Sun Belt Conference game. The Eagles and Mountaineers have met annually since 1993 and the series dates back to the program’s pre-war years with a first meeting in 1932. Appalachian State owns a 16-12-1 advantage, but Georgia Southern has a 7-4 record in games at Paulson Stadium. The game has been designated as a BLUE OUT with all Eagle fans encouraged to show their “True Blue” pride.

Thursday’s game is the first nationally televised weeknight contest at Paulson Stadium since the 1989 “Hugo Bowl,” when Georgia Southern and Middle Tennessee State played a full game just 180 miles from the eye of Hurricane Hugo. The Eagles prevailed 26-0 with swirling gusts of wind and as more than nine inches of rain fell over a four-hour period.

The Eagles evened their record and picked up their first-ever Sun Belt Conference win a 28-6 victory over South Alabama at Ladd-Peebles Stadium which was also their first win over an FBS opponent as an FBS member. Georgia Southern scored a touchdown in every quarter and held South Alabama to only 97 yards of total offense in the scoreless second half. The Eagle defense registered nine tackles for loss, four sacks and two interceptions in the win while the offense posted 420 yards of offense with a career-best 187 yards and two touchdowns from sophomore running back Matt Breida.
Sophomore Jay Ellison was credited with his first career sack and had a career-best six total tackles to tie Antwione Williams for the team lead. Williams also had a tackle for loss. It was the highest team TFL total since the season opener at Samford in 2011 and highest single-game sack total since recording that total twice in 2012.

As the 2014 conference schedule was assigned, South Alabama, third in the league’s preseason poll, was the highest-ranked Sun Belt team Georgia Southern will face this year. The Eagles, who had scored in every quarter in 2014, needed the final 62 seconds of the first quarter to continue that streak. Moving the ball 17 yards on two plays, Breida broke through for a 64-yard touchdown run, his third of 60 yards or more this season.

Georgia Southern opened the second quarter with a successful scoring drive, keyed by Kevin Ellison’s 48-yard pass to B.J. Johnson to land the Eagles on the Jaguars 22. Four plays later, including another double-digit rush by Breida, L.A. Ramsby punched in from the one-yard line for a 14-0 Eagles’ lead. South Alabama trimmed the score with a 66-yard, nine-play drive as Brandon Bridge found Shavarez Smith with a 28-yard TD pass for the Jaguars’ only points.

Georgia State Panthers
A strong first half staked Georgia State to a 14-0 lead at Washington, but the undefeated Huskies scored 45 unanswered points in the second half en route to a 45-14 victory. Georgia State dominated the first half, outgaining the Huskies 231-73. The Panthers ran 48 plays to 27 for Washington and controlled the clock for 21 minutes.

Junior linebacker Joseph Peterson led the Panthers with 14 tackles against the Huskies, including two sacks. He leads the Sun Belt Conference and ranks seventh nationally with 13.2 tackles per game. Already Georgia State’s career tackling leader, he raised his career total to 221.

Senior linebacker Jarrell Robinson had two tackles for loss vs. Washington and leads the Sun Belt with seven tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

Georgia State quarterback Nick Arbuckle is second in the Sun Belt in passing yards (328.8), total offense (333.2) and passing efficiency (140.4).

Arbuckle is spreading the ball around as Georgia State has five players with 14 or more receptions. Six different Panthers have caught Arbuckle’s nine touchdown passes.

Georgia State is off this week before returning to action with an Oct. 4 game at UL Lafayette.

Idaho Vandals
Redshirt freshman quarterback Matt Linehan continues to impress with his third successive 300-yard-plus game with 353 at Ohio University. He is the first Vandal to throw for more than 300 yards in three games as a freshman.

Linehan leads the Sun Belt Conference in passing yards per game (346.3) and is second in yards per completion (12.08) and total passing yards (1,039). His passing yards per game are sixth nationally. He joins Arizona’s Anu Solomon (fifth) as the other freshman in the top 30. The top four are seniors Brandon Doughty (Western Kentucky), Connor Halliday (Washington State), Clint Trickett (West Virginia) and Shane Carden (East Carolina). In total offense, Linehan is the league leader (335.0) and is 13th nationally. Linehan has used 12 receivers to reach those numbers. Tops among them are two one-time quarterbacks – senior receiver Josh McCain, who leads the Vandals with 20 catches for 371 yards, and senior tight end Justin Podrabsky, who is third with 17 catches for 145 yards. Deon Watson, a sophomore receiver, is second 19 receptions for 211 yards.

McCain leads the conference and is third nationally in touchdowns scored with five. He also is first in the Sun Belt in receiving yards per game (123.7, which is seventh nationally) and in total receiving yards with 371 (17th nationally). McCain is second in receptions per game with 6.7 (25th nationally). He is followed in the league standings by three of his teammates – Watson in third, Podrabsky in fourth and sophomore Richard Montgomery in sixth.

Sophomore punter/kicker Austin Rehkow, a 2013 Walter Camp All-American as the nation’s top punter, remains one of the best in the country. He is second in the Sun Belt and sixth nationally in punting average (47.0). Rehkow also is 10-10 on PATs and has made all three field goal attempts, which includes a collegiate long of 47 yards at Ohio University.

Senior defensive end Quayshawne Buckley is second in the Sun Belt (30th nationally) in tackles for loss per game with an average of 1.5, with junior linebacker Marc Millan third in the league and 59th nationally at 1.3 per game.

Saturday’s home game vs. South Alabama is the first between the two teams. Kickoff at the Kibbie Dome on ESPN3 is 2 p.m. (PT).

UL Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns enter the off-week with a 1-3 record after falling at Mountain West opponent Boise State, 34-9, on Saturday at Albertsons Stadium.

UL Lafayette, playing its final tuneup before opening Sun Belt Conference play on Oct. 4 against Georgia State, was led by Elijah McGuire, who caught a career-high 10 passes for 106 yards while rushing for a team-high 31 yards and a touchdown. McGuire totaled 170 all-purpose yards, including 33 yards in punt returns that was aided by a season-high 26-yard return.

Playing without leading tackler Trae Johnson (injury), Trevence Patt led UL Lafayette with a career-high 14 tackles with Dominque Tovell, Kevin Fouquier and Corey Trim adding eight stops each. Tovell, Marquis White and Christian Ringo each recorded sacks for the Ragin’ Cajuns. Ringo recorded a career-best three tackles for loss against Boise State.

The Ragin’ Cajuns registered a season-high three sacks against the Broncos while quarterback Terrance Broadway set single-season highs in pass completions (20) and attempts (38). Broadway moved into sixth-place on the school’s all-time list in passing attempts (712), passing Roy Henry (679, 1975-79).

UL Monroe Warhawks
After its first bye week of the 2014 season, the Warhawks will return to the friendly confines of JPS Field at Malone Stadium as it hosts the Troy Trojans at 6 p.m.

ULM has won three straight games against Troy and four of the last five... Last season, ULM defeated Troy on Halloween night in Troy, Ala., 49-37... Despite winning four of the last five in the series, the Warhawks still trail 6-8-1 in the all-time series; however, in games that have been played in Monroe, ULM leads, 4-2, including three straight wins.

In last season’s meeting, Centarius Donald rushed 22 times for 114 yards and one score while former QB Kolton Browning completed 21 passes for 354 yards and five touchdowns and zero interceptions... Eight different receivers caught a pass and the wide receiver corps was highlighted by Ajalen Holley (4 rec., 74 yds, 2 TDs) and Rashon Ceaser (3 rec., 105 yds, 1 TD)... On the defensive side of the ball, Mitch Lane and Braxton Moore each recovered a Trojan fumble.

In the preseason Sun Belt Conference coaches’ poll, the Trojans were picked just ahead of the Warhawks... Troy was tabbed fourth with 84 points, while ULM was picked fifth with 78 points.

ULM’s home game against Troy is the third home game of the season and the 2014 season marks the third time of the FBS-era (1994-pres.) that the Warhawks have had three home games during its first four games to start a season.... In 1996, ULM hosted Nicholls State, Minnesota and Sam Houston State [road game at UCLA]... In 2001, ULM hosted Sam Houston State, Middle Tennessee and New Mexico State [road game at No. 2 Florida].

In the Warhawks last outing, ULM traveled to Baton Rouge, La. where it battled No. 10/9 LSU... The Tigers claimed a 31-0 victory at Tiger Stadium... The contest at LSU was the first of three games against teams from the SEC this season... ULM will also travel to Kentucky (Oct. 11) and Texas A&M (Nov. 1).

ULM’s non-conference schedule in 2014 is comprised completely of teams from Power Five conferences... ULM opened the season with Wake Forest (ACC) and made its first road trip of the season to LSU (SEC) on Sept. 13... The Warhawks have two more SEC teams on the docket in 2014 (Kentucky & Texas A&M)... The only other FBS program in the country to have a non-conference schedule full of teams from Power Five conferences is Massachusetts (Boston College [neutral], Colorado [neutral], at Vanderbilt, at Penn State).

New Mexico State Aggies
The NM State Aggies fell to 2-2 on the season after losing the Rio Grande Rivalry 38-35 to the New Mexico Lobos, now 1-2 on the season, Saturday, Sept. 20, at Aggie Memorial Stadium in Las Cruces, N.M.

The Aggies next head to Baton Rouge, La., on Sept. 27 to take on No. 17 LSU Tigers. The Tigers are 3-1 on the season after falling to Mississippi State at home this past Saturday.

Game time for the NM State at LSU game is set for 5:30 p.m. (MT) as announced by the SEC network.

South Alabama Jaguars
For the second time in three years, the Jaguars dropped their Sun Belt Conference opener after falling 28-6 to Georgia Southern Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. For its first league road game of the fall, USA will make its first trip to the Pacific Time Zone since defeating UC Davis, 24-21, on Oct. 23, 2010, in the second true away game in school history (the Jags have since been further west, visiting Hawai’i to conclude the 2012 campaign) against Idaho. A win over the Vandals would give the Jags their second straight away from home in SBC play after dropping their first six conference road contests, having defeated Georgia State in Atlanta on Nov. 30 a year ago. … For the second straight week, ILB Maleki Harris posted a double-digit tackle total after recording 10 — including a pair behind the line of scrimmage — to go along with his first interception of the season in the Jaguars’ game against Georgia Southern. The senior was responsible for stopping two second-half Eagle drives, first with a tackle of Kevin Ellison for a loss of three yards on third-and-one on the opening possession of the third quarter then with a pick he ran back five yards on the initial snap of the final period. It’s the first time in his career that Harris has collected 10 or more stops in back-to-back outings. … But it wasn’t Harris who led the Jaguar defense in the GS game, as senior Terrell Brigham equaled a career high with 11 tackles on the night. Not only was it the fourth time in the safety’s career that he has posted 10 or more stops, it helped him move into a tie for third with Alex Page in program history with 166 tackles in three-plus seasons. The effort also gave USA two defenders with a double-digit tackle total for the first time since three Jags has 10-plus stops against Arkansas State on Nov. 2 last year. … Brandon McKee averaged 42 yards on eight punts in USA’s conference opener, with three kicks downed inside the Eagle 20-yard line — the nine the sophomore has recorded through the Jags’ first three outings of 2014 are the most ever by a USA punter in a three-game span. The effort included two punts of more than 50 yards, including a career-long 54-yard kick in the second quarter. … T.J. Glover hit a milestone last time out, posting a team-high 71 all-purpose yards to reach 3,000 in his Jaguar career. The senior ran back two kicks for 55 yards — including a 38-yard return in the second quarter that is the longest on the team this season — while carrying twice for 16 yards. In addition to serving as the program’s all-time leader in the category, Glover also ranks first in school history in kickoff returns (70), kick return yards (1,789) and punt returns (43).

Texas State Bobcats
Texas State will be looking for its second win against an American Conference team when the Bobcats travel to Tulsa this Saturday. The Bobcats opened the 2012 season with a 30-13 victory at Houston when the Cougars were a member of Conference USA.

This marks the second time that the Bobcats will play against Tulsa on Saturday. The two teams also met in 2003.

Ben Ijah recorded his first touchdown reception this season with four-yard TD catch in the first quarter. He also had a 12-yard TD catch in the third quarter to mark the first time he has registered multiple touchdown receptions in a game and season.

Ijah enters this week’s game at Tulsa with three touchdown catches in his career. In addition to his two TD receptions at Illinois, he also caught a touchdown pass against Wyoming in 2013.
Jafus Gaines caught his third touchdown pass in the second quarter with an 11-yard TD catch at Illinois. He leads the Bobcats with three touchdown catches this season.

Robert Lowe ran for 117 yards on 26 carries at Illinois to mark the second time in three games this season and sixth time in his career that he has run for over 100 yards in a game. He had four 100-yard rushing games in 2013.

Colby Targun recorded his first interception of the season and third of his career in the third quarter. Targun’s 48-yard return marked the longest interception return of his career.

Kris Petersen recorded his first sack of the 2014 season and second sack of his career in the third quarter when he sacked Wes Lunt of Illinois for a loss of four yards.

Tyler Jones matched his career-high with four touchdown passes and threw for a career-high 336 passing yards at Illinois. His 336 yards passing were the most by a Bobcat quarterback since Bradley George threw for 337 against Southeastern Louisiana in 2009.

C.J. Best recorded a career-high 38-yard reception in the fourth quarter.

Troy Trojans
Quarterback Dontreal Pruitt made his first career start. Pruitt went 16-of-27 with 150 yards … Tommy Blevins caught the first pass of his career, which went for 18 yards; Blevins became the 17th different Troy player to catch a pass this season … Blevins became the first tight end with two catches in a game since Jim Teknipp against UAB on October 1, 2011. Blevins led the Trojans with 40 receiving yards … Kinderick Dent’s 19-yard reception in the first quarter was a new career-long … Brandon Brooks’ 31-yard reception in the second quarter set a new career-long … Georgia’s interception in the third quarter ended Troy’s streak of pass attempts without an interception at 176 attempts. Earlier in the game K.D. Edenfield became the sixth player with a pass attempt during the streak … Georgia ended Troy’s streak of not being shut out at 99 straight games. (Last at Nebraska on Sept 23, 2006, 56-0) … Quarterback Dallas Tidwell made his first appearance of the season in the 4th quarter … Attendance was 92,746 which ties for the second largest crowd Troy has played in front of … Troy opens its Sun Belt schedule Saturday at ULM; the Trojans end the season with eight straight league games